Dragon Ball 10 Short Fights That Needed To Be Longer

Though Dragon Ball is famous for its exciting brawls, some of the series' most epic battles deserved more time.

Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball has worked hard to become an evergreen shonen classic. It’s kept audiences entertained for more than three decades with no end in sight. Dragon Ball’s success has a lot to do with the various series in the franchise staying true to their origins, while still gradually evolving their formula and expanding the universe’s scope.

Engaging characters, powerful attacks, and unbelievable transformations are all some of Dragon Ball’s most popular elements, but it’s the thrilling battles between the forces of good and evil that routinely receive the most celebration. Dragon Ball is full of feuds, but some showdowns are over before they’ve gotten started and would benefit from an elongated battle.

10 Goku And Piccolo’s Team Effort On Raditz Is Needlessly Rushed

Dragon Ball Z wastes no time as danger quickly arrives in the form of Raditz, Goku’s alien brother. Raditz's strength forces former enemies, Goku and Piccolo, to work together. It’s only through the combined efforts of these warriors that they’re able to defeat Raditz, ending with Goku sacrificing his life. Raditz's potential as a character is ultimately cut short. All of the major fights in the series are lengthy, so it’s surprising that the tag team effort on Raditz doesn’t last longer.

9 Vegeta Turns Android 19 Into Scrap Metal Before He Feels Dangerous

Dragon Ball gets a lot of mileage out of the concept of Androids. They’re a satisfying early obstacle before Cell steps into the spotlight. They also return in fuel movies, video games, and sequel series. Android 19 represents a more rudimentary artificial human who is the first to meet its destruction. Vegeta shows off his new Super Saiyan strength through a quick demolition of Android 19. This Android is enough of an anomaly that it’d be nice to see him last longer against Vegeta.

8 There’s A More Satisfying Sacrifice To Be Found In An Extended Yamcha And Saibamen Duel

The Saiyan invasion happens very early on in Dragon Ball Z. It marks a turning point in the franchise where many of the heroes from the original series are culled from the herd and can’t keep up with these new levels of power.

There are lots of quick defeats during these episodes between deaths of Chiaotzu, Tien, and Nappa. Yamcha's effortless defeat by a Saibaman was intimidating. His fight would benefit from an extension since there were more shocking and abrupt defeats that soon followed.

7 Future Trunks’ Quick Finish Of Dabura Is Derivative Of Past Victories

Future Trunks is one of Dragon Ball’s most interesting characters. He returns to his own fractured timeline after he accomplishes his goal to protect the “past.” Future Trunks’ return allows him to boldly show off his improved strength. He effortlessly takes out Imperfect Cell and other threats that would have previously given him pause. It’s also revealed that Future Trunks prevents the awakening of Majin Buu in his timeline by his defeat of Dabura, as well as Babidi. Dabura is a fascinating enemy that doesn’t get his due and this would make for a satisfying occasion to showcase his prowess.

6 Yajirobe Slices And Dices Cymbal Before It Registers With The Audience

There are dozens of extremely powerful individuals in Dragon Ball, but the series gets progressively obsessed with powerful Saiyans. Yajirobe is a classic Dragon Ball character who’s treated like a punchline more often than he’s considered an asset. Yajirobe’s strength soon becomes irrelevant, but he is accomplished with a blade and has some high points back in the original series. One of Yajirobe’s most impressive moments is when he swiftly cleaves Demon King Piccolo’s offspring, Cymbal, in half. Goku’s defeat of Drum is even quicker, so it’d have been nice if Yajirobe's fight had more time to breathe.

5 Dr. Gero Could've Understood The Errors Of His Ways Before Android 17 Executes Him

There’s nothing quite like an unexpected betrayal and Dragon Ball is full of moments where villains don’t hesitate to turn on their underlings after they’ve served their limited purpose. Dr. Gero, who is an Android himself, is responsible for the creation of the rest of the Androids.

Gero has bold plans when it comes to Cell’s pursuit for perfection, but he experiences a very rude awakening when his own creation, Android 17, quickly decapitates the mad scientist. It’s a shocking sequence, but there’s potential in a battle between two Androids.

4 Goku’s Fight Against Yakon Feels More Like A Gag Than A Threat

There are occasions where certain Dragon Ball enemies are clearly meant to pad time. These battles can come across as unnecessary or derivative, but there’s still a way to use these fights to subvert expectations. Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan are put up against Majin minions during their pursuit of Buu. Goku’s target, Yakon, is an alien that consumes energy. Goku unveils his Super Saiyan 2 transformation for the first time, which contains enough power to overload Yakon. It’s an effective way to highlight Goku’s power, but it’s an underwhelming finish to what looks like an entertaining enemy.

3 Buu And Dabura Trading Blows Leaves A Greater Impact Than Turning Him Into A Snack

Majin Buu is a polarizing Dragon Ball villain. He has multiple forms and a litany of unique powers that are far beyond what the heroes have previously experienced. Buu is strong, but one of his deadliest abilities is to transform his targets into some kind of food, which he proceeds to eat. Dabura learns the chain of command the hard way once Buu turns him into a cookie and eats him. Buu’s transformation trick is seen enough times that a genuine fight between these two would leave a greater impression, especially since he takes out Babidi in a similar fast fashion.

2 Super 17 And Android 18 Are Robbed Of An Epic Sibling Showdown

Dragon Ball GT isn’t as popular of a sequel series as Dragon Ball Super, but it makes some very bold decisions with its characters. It also brings back many familiar faces in creative ways. Dragon Ball GT turns its focus back to Android 17 after he fuses with an evil replicant and they form the enhanced threat, Super 17. Super 17 taunts Android 18 and goes as far as to kill Krillin. This is the perfect opportunity for an emotional fight to the finish for these two Android siblings, but it’s instead turned into another opportunity for Goku to shine.

1 Videl And Spopovich’s Fight Could Have Been Balanced Before Its Dark Turn

Videl and Spopovich's showdown is easily one of the most brutal fights in Dragon Ball . It’s one of the few one-sided battles that’s genuinely hard to watch. Videl and Spopovich are both humans, but Spopovich has received a generous power boost by submitting to the Majin race. Spopovich is double Videl’s size and once the Majin evil takes over he doesn’t hold back against his frail target. This fight could’ve been more palatable if it took longer for Spopovich’s Majin possession to take hold of him and Videl was able to dominate more during the start of the fight.